Mattis warns North Korea nuclear threat accelerating
October 28, 2017
The US defense chief Jim Mattis has warned Pyongyang that the US would not accept North Korea as a nuclear power. Washington and Seoul have agreed to cooperate further on defense issues.
Image: picture alliance/AP/J. Yeon-Je
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US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Saturday threatened North Korea with "a massive military response" should it decide to use nuclear weapons.
Mattis said that the threat of a nuclear attack from North Korea was accelerating, but that it was still no match for US and South Korean firepower.
"North Korea has accelerated the threat that it poses to its neighbors and the world through its illegal and unnecessary missile and nuclear weapons programs," he said during his second day in South Korea for annual defense talks.
The US would not accept the North as a nuclear power, he underscored at a joint news conference with his South Korean counterpart Song Young-moo.
Song told journalists that he and Mattis had agreed to cooperate further on strengthening Seoul's defense capabilities. He said measures would include lifting warhead payload limits on South Korean conventional missiles and supporting the country's acquisition of "most advanced military assets."
He refused to answer questions on nuclear-powered submarines though, which some South Korean officials have been calling for.
Some conservative politicians in the South have also been calling for the redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula, but Mattis and Song were both dismissive of the idea.
ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength
For years, the international community downplayed the threat of North Korea's military power. With the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, it is clear that Pyongyang's military capabilities are growing.
Image: Gettty Images/AFP/E. Jones
Major achievement
In early June 2017, North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time. Testing an ICBM marked a major military achievement for Pyongyang and a serious escalation of tensions with the United States and its allies in the region, particularly South Korea and Japan.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Trouble with warheads
At the time, defense experts said the ICBM could reach as far as the US states of Alaska and Hawaii. However, it was unclear if North Korea can field an ICBM capable of carrying a nuclear warhead on its cone that could survive reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. North Korean state media claimed the ICBM was capable of carrying a "large, heavy nuclear warhead" to any part of the United States.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Pyongyang's nuclear tests - six times and counting
The ICBM is believed to be a step forward in the North's nuclear program. Despite pressure from the international community, Pyongyang has made no secret of its nuclear ambitions. Alongside its ritual ballistic missile tests, North Korea has conducted nuclear tests on at least six occasions, including one in September 2017.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/KCNA
US running out of patience?
Responding to the first ICBM test with a show of force, the US and South Korean troops on conducted "deep strike" precision missile drills using Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the Republic of Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II. In April, the US sent its Carl Vinson aircraft carrier towards the Korean Peninsula, saying it was taking prudent measures against the North.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/M. Brown
Testing the boundaries
Ignoring international condemnation, Pyongyang test-launched another rocket on July 28, 2017, just weeks after its first ICBM test. In both of the tests, North Korea used Hwasong-14 missile, but the second one reached a higher altitude and traveled a larger distance than the first one, according to the state media.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/KCNA
Whole of US within range?
Pyongyang conducted its third test November 29, using a newly developed Hwasong-15 missile. US, Japanese and South Korean officials said it rose to about 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and flew 960 kilometers (600 miles) over about 50 minutes before landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone off the country's coast.
Image: picture-alliance/MAXPPP
One of the world's largest militaries
Apart from a developing missile and nuclear program, North Korea has a powerful army with 700,000 active troops and another 4.5 million in the reserves. It can call upon almost a quarter of its population to serve in the army at any given time. The North's bloated army is believed to outnumber its southern neighbor's by two-to-one.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/E. Jones
Vast capabilities
According to the 2017 Global Firepower Index, the North has, as part of a far-reaching arsenal, 458 fighter aircraft, 5,025 combat tanks, 76 submarines, and 5,200,000 total military personnel. The picture above from 2013 shows leader Kim Jong Un ordering strategic rocket forces to be on standby to strike US and South Korean targets at any time.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Enemies all around
Alongside the United States, Pyongyang views its neighbors South Korea and Japan as its two other main enemies. North Korea has used US military exercises in the region as means of galvanizing its people, claiming that the exercises are dress rehearsals for an impending invasion.
Image: Reuters/K. Hong-Ji
Huge, colorful demonstrations of military might
Every year, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and citizens roll through the streets of the capital Pyongyang to take part in the North's military parades. Preparations for the rallies often begin months in advance, and the parades usually mark important anniversaries linked with the Communist Party or Kim Jong Un's family.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/KCNA
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"When considering national interest, it's much better not to deploy them," said Song, saying allies already had "sufficient means" to respond to a North Korean nuclear attack.
The two defense leaders also discussed the terms under which the South would be given wartime operational control of its forces. Under current agreements, the South's forces would operate under the US-led United Nations Command in the event of war with the North.
US President Donald Trump will make his first presidential visit to South Korea next week as part of his Asia tour, which also includes Japan, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. He is expected to use the visit to address concerns about North Korea, to speak to Seoul's parliament and to visit a US military base there.
